“It was the end of the school year, and Mr. Ianucci was putting the fifth-grade boys through a basketball drill. He had split our class into two teams, Shirts and Skins. I always prayed to be on the Shirts because I’m real skinny and I don’t like taking my shirt off in front of other people. My ribs show, you know? It’s embarrassing.”

These lines from the opening chapter introduce Eddie and stress the importance of basketball within the narrative. By opening with an uncomfortable situation in gym class, Dan Gutman immediately makes Eddie and the story accessible to younger readers by presenting a familiar and realistic situation. This passage also highlights Eddie’s self-consciousness and foreshadows his future issues with distraction. While he is confident in his ability to aim and hit targets when he is alone, the presence of others generally makes him uncomfortable, especially when he is under pressure to perform.

“‘Your mom lets you shave your head?’

‘I don’t have a mom,’ she replied, as if she was saying she didn’t have gum.

‘I don’t have a dad,’ I said. ‘Your dad lets you shave your head?’

‘Why not?’ she said, dribbling. ‘He shaves his.’

Couldn’t argue with that.”

This exchange between Eddie and Annie comes from their first interaction and establishes how much the two characters have in common. The event foreshadows the strength of their friendship and hints at the fact that their families will come together at the end of the book. The matter-of-fact way in which Eddie and Annie discuss their missing parents shows that both children are doing their best to cope with grief and overcome the feeling that something is missing in their lives. This scene also exemplifies Annie’s understanding of The Power of Confidence. She is not embarrassed by her appearance and defends her choice to shave her head.